The invention herein relates to a design for a balloon weight that enables a simple and convenient selection of the length of ribbon between the weight and the balloon. The invention further relates to a balloon weight adapted for use with balloons of various buoyancies or in association with one or several balloons fastened to a single weight. The invention further relates to a balloon weight that prevents small children from opening the connection between the weight and the ribbon of the balloon.
The use of balloons as decorations or toys has become widely known. Many such balloons are helium-filled, providing a desired buoyancy. However, such buoyancy gives rise to the risk of the balloon floating away, to the loss of the owner and a threat to the environment and, in the case of foil balloons, to power lines. Accordingly, it has become popular to tether balloons as by a ribbon and weight assembly.
A known balloon weight is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,427 as having a flat body with a strip-like extension forming a latch of engageable locking tongues. While such balloon weights have generally been successful, the mass of the balloon weight is determined solely by the amount of plastic used to form it, such that various weights are required to counter various buoyancies. Indeed such prior art balloon weights are typically designed as a body with a definite weight such that each weight is only suitable for balloons with the same or similar buoyancy. Thus, a whole series of balloon weights of a similar form, but a different mass must be produced, wherefor several tools are necessary and also several articles have to be sold in shops, making the balloon weights unnecessarily expensive. Moreover, the latches of prior balloon weights have typically been structurally complex and not given to ease of manufacture and use.
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide a balloon weight for toy or decorative balloons.
Another object of the invention is to provide a balloon weight that ensures that the balloon does not fly away when children cannot continuously hold the balloon.
A further object of the invention is to provide a balloon weight that keeps the balloon at a chosen place and, by selectively adjusting the length of the ribbon between the balloon and the weight, the height of the balloon over the place where the weight is situated can be controlled.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by a balloon weight that is designed as a container with a detachable cover that is placed on it in a form-locking manner. On a cover of the container an ear is provided, wherein a conical plug is placed in a force-locking manner, a ribbon running through the ear being clamped between the ear and the plug at a desired point defining the length of the section of the ribbon between the weight and the balloon. The plug is completely received by the ear such that the child playing cannot pull it out. Thus, no danger exists that the ribbon may inadvertently disengage the ear, allowing the balloon to fly away. Further, the plug is connected to the ear by a flexible strip that ensures a permanent connection between the weight and the plug so that the latter can not get lost, even when it is pulled out of the ear.
The container of the balloon weight is adapted to receive additional material, preferably of granular nature which makes it possible to effect an accurate determination of the weight of the complete balloon weight as required to offset the buoyancy of the balloon or several balloons fastened to the weight. Accordingly, only one type of prefabricated container with a cover and an ear and a plug is used for all different weights, significantly diminishing the costs of production and sale of the balloon weight.
From an aesthetic point of view, the container with cover and ear can be of any suitable form.